Could it be? Has another decent Stephen King adaption finally arrived, after a few years where The Stand and Salem’s Lot both failed? The reviews are in for The Long Walk, and it looks like it.
Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) takes on the dystopian thriller, and first pass of the reviews shows a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%.
Here is what they have to say:
“With masterful direction, heart-wrenching performances, and a harrowing survival tale in perpetual motion, The Long Walk smoothly snatches back its legacy as the king of the dystopian fable.”
Lycie Scott, Inverse
“Whether The Long Walk will combat King adaptation fatigue is to be seen, but it manages to recapture the intensity and melancholy of the earliest films inspired by his work in a way that few recently have.”
Alistair Ryder, Looper
“The Long Walk offers a gripping premise, a lot of characters who feel more like loose sketches than fully-realized personalities, and a narrative that maybe has some minor pacing problems towards the end, but is pretty impossible to turn away from.”
Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“The Long Walk’s steadfast focus on the lives and emotions of the walkers themselves is an exceptional choice, allowing the film to be tense, moving, and complex. It’s one of the best horror movies of the year.”
Jeff Ewing, Collider
“The Long Walk is brutal. It’s not for the faint of heart. It can be violent, disgusting, and incredibly hard to watch. But if you do watch, you’ll be rewarded with a surprisingly beautiful, nuanced, human story.”
Germain Lussier, io9
“Boasts incredible performances all around, but is an extremely difficult watch even for those who know what they are getting into. Viewers will have their eyes glued to the screen, hanging onto every moment. Brilliantly done.”
Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
It is not all glowing though. Grace didn’t seem to dig it:
“Stuck in the 1970s – when the original book was written – with the societal and political commentary of a student rather than a professional. Hamill is totally wasted, Jonsson does the best he can, and Hoffman makes for a very bland lead actor. Boring.”
Grace Randolph, Beyond the Trailer
We still have The Running Man to look forward to this year. The Long Walk is set to debut in cinemas next Friday.
